Director of Alumni Programs

UMass Boston's Office of University Advancement and Alumni Engagement is seeking an experienced and creative alumni relations professional to join our dynamic, mission-minded team and inspire engagement with our UMass Boston alumni community.

The Director of Alumni Programs reports to and works with the Senior Director of Alumni Engagement to coordinate and implement alumni programming ultimately leading to deeper engagement with UMass Boston. The incumbent will partner with colleagues in University Advancement and units across campus plan meaningful events for alumni in Boston and the surrounding areas as well as on the UMass Boston campus. Working with the Senior Director, strategically design comprehensive annual programs aimed at increasing the alumni participation rate and implement strategies to grow engagement from current students and parents. In addition to working with alumni, the Director will serve as the main point of contact for graduating seniors as they transition to alumni, educating them on the benefits and offerings of the UMass Boston alumni community.

Examples of Duties: 

• Plan and implement events including but not limited to engagements pertaining to specific schools/colleges, class years, shared interests among alumni, and campaign objectives with the goal to increase constituent and donor awareness, participation, and philanthropic investment;
• Create invitations, draft program timelines, track RSVPs, and manage pre- and post-event communications for events; serve as expert on venues and format for event programming to ensure robust participation;
• Build close working relationships with alumni and upon completion of qualification, transition the relationship to a member of the giving team for further cultivation, assist with tracking the continued engagement of alumni attending events, volunteering their time and/or serving on committees;
• Manage the annual Beacon Awards, our alumni achievement program; oversee the nomination process and work closely with the chair of the selection committee; follow up with award recipients to ensure sustained relationships; plan and manage the awards event;
• Manage the annual Beacon Bash, our all-class reunion program, which includes the Beacon 5K, faculty lectures, tours, and all-class social events; recruit, train, and steward reunion volunteers to assist with participation and fundraising efforts and maintain relationships for future events;
• Develop and maintain relationships with leaders of student campus organizations and serve as the point of contact for graduating seniors as they transition to alumni, planning campus events and programs; work closely with the Director of the Annual Fund relative to the senior giving program;
• Work with coaches and staff in athletics to partner on alumni-reunion games for alumni, parents, and current students; plan events on campus for specific sports based on alumni affinity; track new contact data for CRM;
• Proactively evaluate programs using benchmarking data to guide decision-making; generate, analyze and present monthly reports to Senior Director;
• Identify alumni stories and work with the Communications Specialist to produce compelling content to be shared in newsletters, website, and social media;
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Qualifications: 

Bachelor’s Degree and a minimum of five to seven (5-7) years of alumni relations experience and event planning is required. Experience in higher education or a non-profit setting is preferred. Additional requirements include fluency in the methodologies and trends in a contemporary alumni/constituent relations office as well as demonstrated experience working with Constituent Record Management (CRM) systems. The incumbent will be required to travel frequently locally and on occasion throughout the U.S.

Application Instructions: 

Please apply online with your resume, cover letter and list of three professional references.

Review of candidates will begin following the application closing date, which is February 10, 2023

Salary Ranges for the appropriate Pay Grade can be found at the following link: 

Grade:33          

Salary Ranges

This is an exempt union position.